Nurses who don't have the "passion"

[My_toe_sis]

Hello nurses, I'm not yet a nurse, I'm not even officially in nursing school. I'm just another Rn-hopeful. I have a couple of questions for a specific group of nurses. I'm talking about the nurses who didn't feel like nursing was their passion or calling. What made you start/stay in nursing? Did you learn to be be love your job? Or do you continue to do it because it's a job?

I sincerelely appreciate any answers that you guys can give. Thanks :)

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Are you even a nurse? Looking at some if your other posts, I gather you have failed the NCLEX at least once. I just love how the most judge mental posters aren't even nurses yet

So sad. You don't know what you are missing.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I disagree. Many dedicated b doctor's are awake for long hours. Somethings can wait until morning. Compassion is the keep that opens many doors.

Will you PLEASE use the "quote" feature so we can know who the heck you are talking to?

........and YOUR idea of "sin" and mine are complete different. I think it more of a "sin" to judge others' reasons for entering nursing or any field of employment, for that matter. It pays my bills. It would be more "sinful" to abdicate my responsibilities to my family and pay my bills.

Further, I reserve my compassion for those suffering/sick. Those doctors we call all hours knew darn well what they got into. They need to suck it up and be professional.

There is room for us all at the nursing table and personally, I don't give a damn why people choose to enter nursing as long as they are sincere.

[CNOR11]

I started in nursing as a 'quick job' (hysterical i know) to pay for a graduate degree in another field. I quickly found that a) nursing is damn hard and 2) I would make waaaay more money with nursing. So I did have that secret shame for a little while, the whole concept you mention of not having the 'passion.' But I found an area that I liked and works well with my skills set (the operating room). Along the way you find that people do the job for all sorts of different reasons, and there is nothing wrong with not having some predestined sense of what your career should be. Take pride in a job well done, not the 'passion' you do or don't feel.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

It definitely us a passion for helping others, though many do it for strictly monetary gain. I personally think it's sinful to do just for money. The love of people, and helping get the sick recover is rewarding above what I can write or think.

If there was a hell, it would be chock full of nurses.

Pass the board, find a grueling job, get back to us in a year.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Will you PLEASE use the "quote" feature so we can know who the heck you are talking to?

........and YOUR idea of "sin" and mine are complete different. I think it more of a "sin" to judge others' reasons for entering nursing or any field of employment, for that matter. It pays my bills. It would be more "sinful" to abdicate my responsibilities to my family and pay my bills.

Further, I reserve my compassion for those suffering/sick. Those doctors we call all hours knew darn well what they got into. They need to suck it up and be professional.

There is room for us all at the nursing table and personally, I don't give a damn why people choose to enter nursing as long as they are sincere.

I second the request for using the quote feature, and again express my abhorrence for the judgemental attitude of the poster. I don't think it's anyone's business why anyone chose to enter nursing beyond what they choose to share. And I don't give a damn why, either, as long as they're competent.

The competence thing is where a lot of "the calling" folks have problems, and many of them don't see it as a problem because they just KNOW they're so much more compassionate than anyone else.

[compassionresearcher]

I originally avoided choosing it because when I was younger I was terrified at the thought of doing bed baths and changing patients. However, other majors I tried out seemed so vague and I didn't feel I was getting anything out of what I was learning. When I went to nursing school I didn't really enjoy the clinical environment until I got to the pediatrics rotation. Then I knew I need to become a pediatric nurse. One of the reasons it's a great profession is because there is a lot of variety in what you can do. Some will tell you that you need to do 1 year of Med/Surg, don't buy into it. Find a specialty that fits your strengths and interests.

[Axgrinder]

Nursing was my grandmother and mother's passion, not mine. I wanted to be an orthodontist, but the closest dental school was Loma Linda University in CA at the time. My family was tight knit, and would not have liked me leaving the state to study dentistry, or for any other reason. I was a Momma and grandma's girl.

I conceded nursing was something I could tolerate, and live fairly comfortably with. Nursing it was then (this was fall 1985: pre-space shuttle Challenger disaster - when dinosaurs still roamed the earth wearing Walkman's, and MTV was still in it's infancy …).

Yes, eventually we learned to love each other.

[Alicee]

Reading these responses has been very interesting. I'm not a nurse yet, but I'm one of the ones that does feel it's sort of a "calling". That doesn't mean I expect it to be magical and a huge part of the reason I chose it is because it's practical, but still, I've always wanted to work in the medical field. I guess for me it's a mixture of a calling and practicality.

I've seen a lot of nurses who obviously hate their jobs and are extremely rude to patients, so in my opinion I feel like you do need to have some sort of passion or motivation for doing it. Maybe that isn't true since obviously a lot of people here feel that it's just their job and are still able to preform well, but I wonder what causes those nurses (the ones who hate it) to feel so negatively about it.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I've seen a lot of nurses who obviously hate their jobs and are extremely rude to patients, so in my opinion I feel like you do need to have some sort of passion or motivation for doing it. Maybe that isn't true since obviously a lot of people here feel that it's just their job and are still able to preform well, but I wonder what causes those nurses (the ones who hate it) to feel so negatively about it.

Many nurses who "hate their jobs" are experiencing compassion fatigue or burnout. It usually gets those nurses who Have A Calling first.

[l1234567]

Reading these responses has been very interesting. I'm not a nurse yet, but I'm one of the ones that does feel it's sort of a "calling". That doesn't mean I expect it to be magical and a huge part of the reason I chose it is because it's practical, but still, I've always wanted to work in the medical field

but I wonder what causes those nurses (the ones who hate it) to feel so negatively about it.

Maybe you should read other threads then if you are confused as to why nurses get (the term is) burnt out. Because then you wouldn't wonder. This thread also points out burn out does not discriminate "calling" or not

[compassionresearcher]

I completely agree with the responders referring to burnout. Many of the nurses working at the bedside are pushed to the limit mentally and physically due to high acuity and poor staffing. What's worse is when they send people home due to low census. So you're either killing yourself with a really bad nurse:patient ratio or home on a day you planned to be working and not getting paid! That could suck the passion out of anybody.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I guess you may find out when you are in the trenches as a nurse with us. Til then, you may not fully understand, but you can respect their feelings one way or the other. Most nurses come in always wanting to do the "right thing" but get sidelined and thrown off completely by the most unreasonable and excessive expectations of their corporate masters. Like I said, you have no clue how it feels but you will once you are working and trying to please everyone, killing yourself in the process. Good luck in school.

Reading these responses has been very interesting. I'm not a nurse yet, but I'm one of the ones that does feel it's sort of a "calling". That doesn't mean I expect it to be magical and a huge part of the reason I chose it is because it's practical, but still, I've always wanted to work in the medical field. I guess for me it's a mixture of a calling and practicality.

I've seen a lot of nurses who obviously hate their jobs and are extremely rude to patients, so in my opinion I feel like you do need to have some sort of passion or motivation for doing it. Maybe that isn't true since obviously a lot of people here feel that it's just their job and are still able to preform well, but I wonder what causes those nurses (the ones who hate it) to feel so negatively about it.